Uranus-Pluto Square III: This Shit is Hard

9.18.12

In advance of the second exact square between Uranus and Pluto tomorrow (Wed Sep 19), allow me to state the obvious in pretty blunt terms: This shit is hard.

To the casual astrology follower, it can sometimes get a bit confusing trying to discern which present astro-aspects (among the countless that are impacting us at any given time) are worth concentrating on and which are mere passing blips, perhaps interesting for a moment but not deeply descriptive of the broad trends permeating many lives.

This is a hazard of our occupation: Astrology often suffers from too much information, and not enough thoughtful prioritizing of which chunks are the most widely relevant. This underscores my approach, which is to purposely emphasize (1) simplicity, in terms of how many astrological details to look at, along with (2) repeated in-depth exploration of those few most-consequential details, to drill their significance into our collective heads.

That should explain why you'll find me relentlessly beating my Uranus-square-Pluto drum. The tense 90-degree angle between these two planetary big-shots is the single most important astrology headline that has crossed my desk during my career. And it will continue to dominate our consciousness for another few years, peaking in intensity whenever other planets drift into its sphere of impact such as during the couple weeks ahead, when first Mercury and then the Sun form a T-square, opposing Uranus and squaring Pluto from Libra.

One need know absolutely nothing about astrology, incidentally, to catch an experiential whiff of the Uranus-Pluto disquiet. Make a reference to 'these crazy times we're living through' to just about anyone, and they will understand what you're talking about. It doesn't take a scholar to look all around and see symptoms of a world in radical transition, its citizens not entirely clear on what we're transitioning intothough, with plenty of us holding our own distinct visions for what we might strive for, there is some degree of competition between these visions.

Without even mentioning the name of a planet or the dreaded word 'astrology' to a non-believer, we can still find connection with those sharing this metamorphic angst with us: Humanity has hit a periodic recurrence in the cycles of history (because we all seem to grasp that history repeats itself) closest in spirit to The Sixties and The Great Depression. Acknowledging the unmistakable similarities between those eras and ours is hardly a controversial observation. We with the astrological knowledge, however, see more deeply into it. We possess an awareness of the archetypes at play, which serves as a compass for divining the best direction(s) to head even though, as fallible as all the other humans, we cannot truly comprehend this landscape's express features until they're staring us in the face.

Today (Tue Sep 18), right before this second Uranus-Pluto square, Pluto finishes his multi-month retrograde and stations to direct motion or, in laymen's terms, appears from our earthly vantage to stand still. This obviously accentuates Pluto's potency at the very moment he wrangles directly with Uranus, giving him an upper hand.

Pluto is known to arouse the pain (or, at the very least, the extreme discomfort) associated with whatever unsightly or inconvenient psychological drives and desires we are struggling to own and accept within ourselves. When we become irrationally upset, envious or obsessed with what somebody else is up to, according to Plutonian logic, it's usually because this other person's behavior triggers an unintegrated quality within ourselves that aches for expression. Often, we may not grow fully cognizant of what facet of self we're disavowing until we're ranting and raving, screaming and sobbing, and/or too compulsively intruding into other people's business. Beware the wagging finger of blame: It may appear to point outward, but it's really aiming back at you, toward the raw issue inside which begs for attention and assimilation.

From my own personal Pluto travails, I know of what I write: Pluto is currently hovering right on my Descendant (the cusp of the 7th, one's interpersonal-relationship house) and squares my natal Pluto in the 4th. I vacillate between (1) feeling totally hopeless in my ability to push through whatever blocks to increased intimacy I've harbored, as my unconscious response to dynamics I was raised with, and (2) welcoming powerful breakthroughs in how deeply I can connect with another. I expel furious indignation at somebody else's assertion of independence and, therefore, difference from me all coupled, meanwhile, with bouts of self-loathing at my resistance to confidently do the same. Don't I understand how my own pushback prevents me from gaining more of what I truly want? My angry tone then cracks open, giving way to a cavalcade of weepy apologetics and the promise of redemption, which eventually gets topped off with a naughty dose of, ahem, cathartic commingling. And we continue moving forward, as we always must, as I repeat to myself the holy mantra, 'Cut yourself some slack.'

Like I said: This shit is hard. So many folks cannot escape that sense of being trapped, though they may likely be perpetuating their trappedness by not examining where their thinking may be rigid or their fear of confronting old wounds leaves them stuck in dull discontentment. The world is ending or at least this one we've gotten so settled into, we cannot appreciate what we've taken for granted or how lazily unengaged we live from day to day. The good news: Another new world's being birthed as we speak. The harder news: From what I understand, birthing hurts like hell.

On Thursday (Sep 20), Mercury in Libra rolls into its tangle with Uranus and Pluto, threatening to blow insincere and/or overly accommodating communications out of the water. Attempts to 'say the right thing' when it isn't wholly authentic or productive may explode into the real conversation that needs to happen. As calmly or diplomatically as we may attempt to process or reason through a situation, the dual Uranus-Pluto specters of crude, impatient self-interest and wily, tyrannical defensiveness threaten to mar the evenness. You can identify your richest locus of transformational potential by its glaring gap between 'official message' and the palpable vibe (i.e., what's really going on) stirring underneath: Something doesn't smell right, and therefore it all needs a thorough scouring.

Come Saturday (Sep 22), the Sun enters Libra at the occasion of another equinox, our entry into the final season before the hyper-hyped end-of-Mayan-calendar date (Dec 21 2012). And by the following weekend, the Sun forms its T-square with Uranus and Pluto but as if that weren't enough, it does so in exact alignment with the Full Moon in Aries (Sat Sep 29).

We all know how Full Moons are magnifying agents, drawing what has been partly or wholly concealed into its stark bright light. At its fullness, the Moon will be conjunct Uranus, an emotionally rebellious combo that, along with the Pluto square, has some astrologers setting off the alarm-bells about this 'MonsterMoon'. There's no question these couple weeks are building toward a release around this Full Moon, with a heightened possibility of shocking surprises and/or a sudden need to contend with farther-reaching ramifications than one might've planned on.

P.S. The outbreak of anti-American protests across the globe (and its co-opting as a campaign issue in the intensifying US presidential race), the re-emboldening of the Occupy Wall Street movement (and the re-entrenching of a very forceful police response), the global economy continuing to teeter (and, perhaps, the likelihood of another game-changing development sometime soon) the timing is not coincidental.

Be increasingly vigilant, about personal mindfulness and one's own safety, for the duration of September. This astrology ain't messing around.